Old Pros

We’re a month into this newborn thing and we’ve got it down. Annabel is a very easy baby. Her needs are few – eat, sleep, change, cuddle. I have three of those needs so we’re pretty much on the same page.

This isn’t to say that we aren’t EXHAUSTED. See, I like to get more than say, two hours of sleep at a time. Annabel, on the other hand, wants to eat all the time. It proves problematic to my sleeping. Hopefully under-eye bags will come into fashion.

The lack of rest also has me trying some…questionable…sleeping positions:

She makes it look so comfy…but it was not. My hips have not recovered.

Poor Annie has had some upset tummy issues. She gets a bit of reflux and hiccups after she eats. Madeline had the same problem so we’ve dealt with this before. We started giving her gripe water and it seems to have done the trick. Although, her little baby hiccups are so stinking cute. Squeak! Squeak!

So we’re in that “New Parent Groundhog Day” phase where every day is the same. But for us, that’s a great thing, because every day includes her.

Sae says:

Oh, that smile!
Yeah, I tried the baby butt-up sleeping position once, for about 10 seconds. I still ache just thinking about it. They are so flexible, it’s incredible!
.-= Kate @ UpsideBackwards´s last blog ..Who, me? In three. =-.

Michelle W says:

Love those gummy smiles, the first toothy ones also very cute and look forward to seeing those in no time at all. Babies, all of them, to me are still miracles. I have had the whole thing explained but somehow for me, that still defy explanation.

Melissa says:

Marti from Michigan says:

I must agree, the first picture, Annie looks quite a bit like you Heather!

I love her sweet sleepy smile – must have been thinking of eating or something that made her smile.

I worked in a radiology office several years ago and we had babies with reflux come in for “upper GI” x-rays where they feed barium by bottle to a baby (yuck!) and then follow it through the baby’s digestive system. One thing the radiologist always used to say, was give a baby a pacifier fairly soon after eating, because the sucking helps the reflux. The reflux isn’t so bad with the pacifier sucking. Maybe you can try that on Annie.

kristen says:

I wish I’d known about the pacifier trick with my sons. My first had reflux for 14 months. My carpet will never be the same! Thank goodness for Oxi-clean powder…it saved most of his clothes for his brother.
I don’t know if this works since I read about it after both of my boys were over reflux. It might help. Just read the reviews and tips.http://www.amazon.com/Happi-Tummi-Removable-Waistband-Blue/product-reviews/B000I6PX1M

kristen says:

I also meant to say…she is so stinkin’ cute!!! I can’t believe how much she is filling out. I love those little legs and chubby cheeks. I wish I could cuddle with her! I hope her eating frequency changes soon. She sure looks like one happy baby. You guys seems to be amazing parents with such happy girls.

so perfectly said. That dream that generated the smile must’ve been a doozy, likely involving her sister and a shared joke between them. Sorry the elongated sleep isn’t happening, though. I hope with every passing day it’s just little better on that front.

Jenn says:

Hello My Friend!!!
As I wrote before…she is just so flippin’ cute!! I wish I could just reach through the screen and softly pick her up and rock & snuggle her until she falls to sleep!
She is just so sweet!!! Lucky you to have her as a daughter…..lucky her to have you as her mom!!! You are loved by many Annie!!!
Love,
Jenn xo

Elise says:

Oh my gosh, she is so very stinkin’ adorable I’d want to cuddle and stare at her 24/7. Sleep is overrated. (um, yeah, that statement is from someone who currently has the luxury of uninterrupted sleep.)

Sue says:

Love the picture of the two of you in your sleeping positions, Heather!!LOL That last picture of Annie is so precious. How could she NOT like it there with a mommy & daddy like you & Mike! She is an absolute doll baby!

J in eire says:

Oh so cute and just adorable… Both of you. My daughter was diagnosed with acid reflux (our clothes looked like they had been splashed with bleach even after washing!!) when she was two weeks old. She was put on gaviston and prepulsed, and between them they really helped. We also had to keep her upright as much as possible, so she had to sleep in her stroller upright at night, and when she got a little bigger we got a wedged mattress for her cot to raise her up. Luckily she was a really easy baby too, so none of it phased her. The good news is she NEVER throws up now!! She has come home from school where a nasty bug is going around saying a kid threw up on her school bag etc, but she never gets it… I’m hoping it goes this way for Annie too.

Kathryn says:

Love her! Now I do see the resemblance of Annie to you in the first picture, but otherwise I think she’s a total Mike clone :o)
It’s so great to see your funny baby and Mommy pictures again. I sure have missed that.

PS- hope your hips recover soon. I don’t think I could pull that off either without being sore. lol !

Kim says:

You might ask about this, only because it seems to be working for my new baby niece (she was due at the same time as Annie but was born Jan 11). She is taking a thickener before she eats and Mylanta after. It’s all but eliminated the spit up and she’s much, much happier. None of us had ever heard of this before with babies, but her pediatrician suggested it and it’s a miracle thing.

Just some useless advice. But whatever works.

She’s gorgeous – and I hope your hips feel better! That did not look comfortable.

Mary Ann says:

My neice had reflux and a super tiny amount of rice cereal in her breastmilk to thicken it helped her immensely. If I remember correctly she started around 6 weeks. Holding her upright for an hour after she eats (a great excuse to hold the baby, we never wanted to put her down) also helped – I hope she’s feeling better soon. Love your pictures!

Its the exhaustion we forget from those early days of our babymoon, and when I look at pictures of Annabel I am overcome with wistfulness that those days are past and not likely to return. I find it amazing that parents can survive on so little sleep, and yet time and again we manage to get to the years where we get more than a few minutes of sleep at a time. I hope your time of rest comes soon, in the meantime just keep enjoying your wonderful, beautiful daughter.
.-= Mary´s last blog ..On how I fill the void =-.

Gyaaaaaaaaaaaah, she’s beautiful! I’m mad impressed that you were able to get down on the floor like a month after a c-section. A month after mine, I was still shuffling around like a senior citizen.
.-= Jen L.´s last blog ..Jaq Jaq Bird Bib Review and Giveaway =-.

I so envy you for the wonderful photographs… Keep sharing them, I truly admire and enjoy them…
Nothing more beautiful on earth then a smiling baby…
.-= catherine lucas´s last blog ..St. John’s Indian School, Arizona =-.

Hayley says:

Diane says:

I think the little itty bittys like to keep us up as much as possible so that we don’t miss too much of them being this small! Haha. My itty bitty is 2 now and I was watching some videos of her in her early times…. I actually asked myself “How on earth did I miss this?” Answer… sleep deprivation. Such a vicious cycle. LOL.

love that sleeping position … though not for me either …
what is gripe water? i’m dealing with some major reflux issues in the babe that started over the weekend … but can’t get to the dr. because the other kids have a stomach bug …
i wonder if that would help my little guy?
off to google it.
.-= jen´s last blog ..mama-scout award. =-.

Oh Heather, I just love all of these pix of precious little Annabel! She is too adorable for words!! Ah yes, I remember the sleep deprivation, but it will get better soon as you know, and then your still gonna be up just watching her, aren’t you?! Love from AZ, @1mcmommy
.-= Patty´s last blog ..Lost… =-.

Julie from Michigan says:

Awww, she is so cute!! The baby hiccups are adorable but you have to think after a while they must hurt right? I am a HUGE fan of Gripe Water, I always have a bottle of it in my fridge, the instant hiccup relief. Sending lots of sleep dust your way!

Tricia says:

You crack me up Heather…I can’t get how babies find that butt up position comfotable either but it’s Bella’s fav. Oooooo I love Annie’s grin, I just love her actually and can’t wait to meet her. xoxoxoxo

Rory says:

She is so cute! You might want to check with her doctor/your pharmacist about giving her acidophilus for the tummy issues. My son was born via c-section and had digestive issues, especially when he was lying down after a feeding. My pharmacist recommended giving him acidophilus with one of his supplement bottles. He told us that he read a study that with c-section babies, they don’t get the good bacteria from the birth canal and that this would help him. We got some and within a couple of days, his discomfort after eating went away.

Michele Wallace says:

Amy says:

Shannon Kieta says:

Damn I can’t stop saying it… That is one cute kid! I can’t stand it how cute she is!!!! I could be having the day from hell and look at that picture and it put a smile on my face. That is amazing! You are two lucky people…who deserve every inch of it!!!!

Julie in SC says:

Oh MY! She is a DOLL! Love her name so much and the pictures are so so sweet. Congratulations!!!
I’m sure you don’t remember me…but I was due the day before you with my baby…and I had Gestational Diabetes too. I commented a few times a while back. We had our baby girl on February 3rd (a little after you and I was all jealous that you got to snuggle your baby already while mine was still kicking the crap out of me LOL) and she is beautiful and perfect. We named her Madden Kate (a name I’ve loved forever!)…and my husband has been calling her Maddy.
Anyhow, just wanted to say hello and congratulations and I know just how you feel with the no sleep….we are on the same schedule! Take care!

That Last Photo is Soooo CUTE~ I love the toothless smiles In the first photo she looks dead on like you! Hope your able to get some rest!
.-= Desiree´s last blog ..Got the Kids Pics done this afternoon =-.

Krissa says:

Oh, if you get video of her baby hiccups I know I’m not the only one who would love to see/hear it! I hope it doesn’t mean her tummy is hurting or anything though. I’m not a mom so I’m not sure. … Happy 1 month! You both look great!

beth says:

Aw, how sweet!!! I love the pics, especially the one of you two sleeping. She is just precious!! And you know this already, but things will settle down and you’ll eventually be able to catch up on your sleep.
.-= Sarah R´s last blog ..I’m still here! =-.

I had lost my mom unexpectedly the year before I was pregnant…..God blessed us with an amazingly easy baby. I think he knew we needed that.

I have a feeling that God has given you an easy baby too…..one that won’t be too much trouble, will bring you moments of joy when you need it most, and will be empathetic. She’ll just know it’s part of her job to make you smile.
.-= Debra @ A Frugal Friend´s last blog ..Free South Beach Living Fiber Fit Smore’s Bar =-.

I love that photo of you kissing her in your arms. She looks SO content to be there! And I love her eyes. That gummy grin in that last photo is awesome. She seems VERY HAPPY to be apart of the Spohr household. ;o)

Angie says:

I am seriously going to have to stop reading your blog for the next 10 weeks, if you keep posting such adorable, yummy pics like that!!! (i am due in 10 weeks and can hardly wait to hold my baby in all it’s yumminess!).

Seriously, she is just breathtaking. And you? Well, getting into that position so soon after having a baby makes you my hero. I can only pull that off after a few glasses of wine and some rockin’ music playing.

Aww, little bitty baby hiccups! I assume you’re nursing if you’re up all the time. I hope it’s going well – you know, aside from the lack of sleep She is so beautiful! I’ll bet you’re enjoying her tons.
.-= Two Makes Four´s last blog ..Cry Me a River =-.

She is so darn cute, and my eyes well up when I see those pictures, but they well up with good tears.

Jackson had acid reflux as well, I remember so clearly rushing him to the hospital because he threw up when he was laying down and could not breathe, horrible stuff. After we knew what was going on, it was a lot easier to tackle.

Good sleep is a thing of the past, I am afraid. I have been a mother for 19 years, and always have a baby. I have not slept through the night in at least 12 years…I can’t remember what it would be like! So hard when you are nursing, too! But, you are growing a beautiful girl and all that great growing milk is doing wonders for her! Many, many blessings to you all!

Ohhhh myyyyy goodnessss!!! I am so in love with that sweet little smile!!! Ahhh, my heart has melted
So glad you all are doing well. Love the pic of you and Annie with your butts up LOL! Although it may not be comfy for you, it sure was cute

Jordy says:

Heather! She is absolutely adorable! What a precious photo of her smiling in her sleep! I can’t wait to meet her!!!! We are in Brazil with my family right now enjoying the summer but we’ll be back home in March. I’ll try calling you then! I hope you can catch up with your sleep soon! =) xoxo! Luv ya!

I love seeing photos of Maddie. The most stylish Olympian there ever was! But how I’ve missed the webcam photos. Little updates that remind me of the people on the other end of the computer. I don’t know.. it makes you feel close. And I like that. You’ve shard so much of yourself. Of your family. How wonderful it is to see the grainy happiness of you with Annie. Looking at these photos, all right with the world. Well… almost right.

Much hugs to you all. Now and always. *hugs*!
.-= Kristel´s last blog ..With Glowing Hearts =-.